Burning heart
by doc boy
Summary: After provoking Harry more than he should have, Malfoy and Harry have it out in a dual. But when Hermione gets badly hurt in the crossfire, Harry and Hermione must face questions they share about themselves and how they feel about one another. That is, if she ever wakes up...
1. Chapter 1 the accident

Burning heart

I do not own Harry Potter

It was a usual day at Hogwarts. Harry and his friends were having potions class with the Slyhterins and Snape was being his usual obnoxious self. Harry stood next to Hermione while mixing their potions and were engaged in a lighthearted chat, sharing a few laughs here and there. Lately it seemed the two have grown very close, closer than they used to be, much to Ron's dismay and everyone seemed to notice. Especially Malfoy. Looking for a reason to piss him off, Malfoy opened his mouth to speak.

"Hell of a taste you got there Potter! You shouldn't fall in love with mudbloods you know…" he trailed off and everyone laughed. Hermione's face turned a crimson shade of red and Harry's hands formed into fists. He reached for his pocket about to draw his wand but Hermione grabbed it.

"Don't." she squeaked softly.

Harry paused for a while, but then grumbled and put his hand down.

"Aww… isn't that cute? Hermione wants to hold his hand but poor Potter is too embarrassed…," mocked Malfoy again and everyone burst in laughter and Harry grew angrier.

"Knock it off Malfoy," snapped Ron.

"What's to you Wesley? Feeling a little jealous are we?"

Ron's ears turned red; never a good sign. He was about to curse the boy in front of him but Hermione looked at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head in the negative. Ron sighed angrily and turned around back to his caldron.

"My, my… quite the love triangle we have here, don't we boys? Can't say I blame them. They always did bad have taste in women…" teased Malfoy again.

"Alright that's it!" yelled Harry and tackled Malfoy. Ron was about to jolt at him to but was held back by his friends. Malfoy kicked Harry off him and soon a dual began. They chased and threw curses at each other, most of them missing their targets. When Malfoy raised his want to strike, he used a curse he made up but never used before and didn't know its full consequences.

"Interio Infernio!" he yelled and a pinkish red light came out of his wand. But when he struck he realized Harry wasn't in front of him. At first, he thought he missed his target. Then, he realized it was worse than that. Instead of striking Harry, he struck Hermione. She froze in shock and in pain, and then she started sweating profusely, and collapsed onto the floor.

"Hermione!" yelled her two friends as they rushed to her aid. They flipped her onto her back and Harry cradled her head in his hands.

"Hermione! Are you okay?" he asked but she wasn't responsive. Her face was very red and hot, she was sweating, and she had trouble breathing. Harry looked up at Malfoy.

"What did you do?" he asked darkly.

Thinking he might have killed Hermione, Malfoy gulped.

"I don't know… I never used that curse before, I didn't know it was gonna do that…" he stammered. He approached them to get a better look at her. When he was close enough, Harry gave him a strong punch to the face, knocking him to the ground.

"That was just the first one, you bastard." said Harry.

"Harry we need to get Hermione to the hospital wing." said Ron.

"Oh, right," said Harry and they carried her out of the class in a hurry.

Right after they left, Snape returned from his bathroom break and saw a few people were missing.

"Where are three Gryffindors?" he asked.

Harry and Ron ran up the stairs as fast as they could, with each passing moment, Hermione's body grew hotter and hotter. Finally, they burst through the doors to the hospital wing.

"Good lord, you two! What happened to Miss Granger?" asked the school nurse.

"We don't know. She was hit by a makeshift curse and she collapsed after that. You have to help us!" said Harry.

"What was the curse?"

"Interio infernio." said Harry

"My word, that's not good. I'll do my best. Set her down on this bed," said Madam Pomfrey and they did. The nurse placed a hand on her forehead.

"Good lord, she's practically on fire!" gasped the women and hurried to get one her strongest potions. She came back with a big bottle and helped Hermione drink it. It wasn't helping and Hermione's face grew increasingly redder and hotter.

The nurse cursed under her breath and hurried to get another potion but that didn't work either. After trying five more potions with Hermione's body temperature still rising out of control, she tried a last resort. She took a step back and aimed her wand at the sick girl.

"Freezio!" she yelled and a thin layer of ice covered the girl up to her neck. The women sighed with relief and approached her. To everyone's immense relief, her face was starting to get less red.

"Thank goodness…" sighed Harry as the nurse continued to observe her.

"Alright, listen carefully, as soon as the ice melts cover her in her blanket. Miss Granger has a sick time ahead of her."

"What happened? What did the curse do?" asked Ron.

"The makeshift curse burned Hermione's internal organs, not set them on fire, God forbid, but they were badly singed."

The two boys paled.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes, but there'll be a lot of healing to be done. It will be a while till she'll be well again."

The two boys sighed again.

"Thank you madam Pomfrey. We're in debt to you."

"No debt you two, this is my job. I'll be back soon to check on Miss Granger. Make sure to cover her up when the ice melts," said the women and left. The two boys sighed once more. Ron looked at his friend.

"That was a close shave wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" sighed Harry and the two looked at their sick friend as the ice slowly melted.

"There… there isn't anything really going on between you two is there?" asked Ron hopefully.

Harry bit his lip.

"I'm afraid there kinda is. I've developed feelings for her lately, I've tried to get closer, and so far it seems to be mutual. But I could be wrong and it's mostly been beating around the bush so far."

Ron sighed.

"I guess I should have said something sooner…"

"I guess so."

"I won't get in your way then. She deserves you, you know?" he said and looked at him and Harry smiled.

"Thanks mate." He said and wrapped his arm around Ron's shoulder as the ice continued to melt. When it did, they covered her up in a thick blanket as the redness in her face began to subside, while her breaths remained hoarse and hollow…

To be continued…

So this is a change pace for once. How long will it take Hermione to recover? What will become of her relationship with Harry? Will Malfoy be punished for his actions?

All will be revealed later on. Stay tuned everybody and don't forget to review…

Peace out…


	2. Chapter 2 vigil

Chapter 2 vigil

It's been a few hours since Hermione has been taken into the hospital wing and still hasn't woken up. Since the accident, a few friends came by to visit her. Seamus, Dean and Neville as well as Jinny came by to check on her and try to cheer the boys up. Soon it was dinnertime and as much as the boys wanted to eat, they didn't want to leave her bedside. After a while, Ron realized, she won't be waking up any time soon, so there's no point in missing dinner; so he got up and left the hospital wing, while Harry stayed put. He sat there, hour after hour, waiting for her to show any signs of life and he wouldn't leave until she did. Aside from his concern for her, he felt terribly guilty for what happened. If he hadn't jumped Malfoy, she would be okay right now and they would probably be joking around in the Gryffindor common room. He sighed sadly and removed his glasses to rub his eyes tiredly and then put them back on. Then he heard a sound. He looked up and saw Hermione stir as she moaned in pain softly. She blinked her eyes open and her eyes moved around in their sockets, taking in her new surroundings.

"Hi." he said softly. She turned to her left to see him sitting beside her.

"Hi." She said tiredly.

"How do you feel?"

"Terrible. Where am I?"

"In the hospital wing. You got cursed by Malfoy remember?"

"I remember something about that. But why does my body feel so hot, and why does my body hurt all over?"

Harry bit his lip.

"Hermione I hate to say this, but I'm afraid he cursed you with a spell that singed your internal organs."

Hermione paled.

"Are you serious?"

Harry nodded.

"I'll get him for this…," she muttered.

"I know, but for now, you have to rest. Retaliating will have to wait."

"Well, obviously." She said.

"Who carried me here?" she added after a short pause.

"Ron and I." Harry said.

"Where's Ron?" she asked looking around.

"He went to eat dinner and then went back to the common room."

"So why didn't you go then?"

Harry bit his lip again.

"Because I'm worried about you, and I feel responsible for what happened…"

"Why do you feel responsible? It's not your fault. You weren't the one who cursed me."

"But I was the one who attacked Malfoy and got him to curse you in the first place."

"Listen to me, Harry." she said and sat up. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"What happened to me was an accident and it wasn't your fault. For what it's worth, I appreciate you trying to defend my honor and my dignity. So don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"

He nodded.

"Yeah."

After a short awkward silence, Hermione yawned.

"Well, I guess I should be getting some sleep now. Maybe you should too…"

"Okay. I'll be here again tomorrow to visit you."

"I'm sure you will. I'll be looking forward to it."

Harry smiled and she returned it.

"Alright. Sleep well." he said and was about to get up when she stopped him.

"Harry?" she asked with a slight note of hesitation in her voice.

"Yeah?"

She paused for a bit and then leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thanks for staying by my bedside. It means a lot to me…," she said and they both smiled with a slight blush on their cheeks.

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" he said.

"Yeah." She replied with a smile, one that he returned.

"Alright. Sleep well." he said and got up.

"Thanks." she said and lay back down in her bed as Harry left the hospital wing and Hermione slowly drifted into a peaceful slumber…

To be continued…

So things are on a bit of a slow burn between Harry and Hermione but something is clearly brewing between them. How long until they find out and come to terms with their emotions for one another?

Read on to find out…

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	3. Chapter 3 flowers

Chapter 3 flowers

It was Saturday and school was out for the weekend. While most of their peers would spend their time relaxing and trying to catch up on their homework, Harry and Ron went straight to the hospital wing to check up on Hermione. They walked up the stairs silently and went through the large doors to find Hermione lying in bed reading a book.

"Hey Hermione." Said Harry and she looked up.

"Hi guys." She said with a smile and put the book down on her lap.

"How do you feel?" asked Harry.

"A little better. Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion that should help my organs get back to normal. She says I'm lucky to be alive."

"That's good to hear. How's your fever?" asked Ron.

"Still hasn't gone down much, but I'll be okay." she said and smiled at them and they returned the gesture.

The trio spent the next few hours chatting about anything under the weather. When it came time for lunch, Ron stayed for a little while later, and then went to eat a much-needed meal, while Harry stayed with Hermione for a while.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" she asked.

"Soon." He said and looked away and so did she, their faces red with blush. They remained silent for a while until Harry couldn't stand it any longer and got up.

"Maybe I'll go get some lunch."

"You do that. I'll see you later Harry," she said with a smile and he smiled too. Harry held her hand for a moment in his own and rubbed it slightly.

"Hang in there Hermione. You'll be out of here soon enough…" he said and she smiled sweetly at him as he let go of her hand and walked away. She watched him leave the room and sighed softly.

Later that day, Harry had an idea. In the afternoon, he walked towards the open field that surrounded the castle and picked some flowers to give to Hermione. When he had a small banquet of pretty flowers and roses, he hurried back to the castle and put them in a vase with water. Then he toke a small piece of parchment and wrote a note on it. When everything was ready, he took the objects with him to the hospital wing. Knowing Hermione would probably be taking a nap now; Harry snuck into the hospital wing and approached her bed. Sure enough, she was sound asleep, so he quietly placed his gifts on her nightstand and quietly walked out, thinking he was unnoticed. But he was noticed. When he turned around, Hermione woke up for a second, saw what he gave her, and read the message on the note he left her with the flowers.

 _"To my best friend Hermione,_

 _Hope you feel better soon and get back to being your cheerful and active self. May these flowers bring a smile to your face._

 _Your friend,_

 _Harry"_

Hermione smiled warmly at the sentiment, happy to have him as a friend, as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep, while Harry went downstairs to eat his dinner…

To be continued…

So yeah… this one was a little short, but I didn't have much of an idea for what to do with it so I kind of improvised. Anyway I hope you guys liked it nonetheless.

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	4. Chapter 4 fever

Chapter 4 fever

The next morning after the two boys ate breakfast, they went up to visit Hermione. To their surprise and concern, they found Madam Pomfrey hovering over her with slight agitation.

"What's going on?" asked Ron.

"Hermione's fever went up again. I've tried every potion and spell I can think of, but nothing's working."

"How bad is it?" asked Harry.

"Dangerously bad. If it stays this high long enough, she will die."

Harry paled.

"Well can't you do something?"

"I've tried. I tried the ice spell several times but it doesn't help."

"So what can we do?" asked Ron.

"Pray and hope for the best." said the school nurse and placed her hand on Hermione's forehead. Her temperature was at about 42 degrees C, far beyond normal body heat.

"There's nothing more I can do for her boys. I'll be walking around the wing if you need anything." She said and walked away. Harry looked at his best friend, the one he had feelings for and sat down by her bedside. Ron soon followed. Her usual active form was now red, sweaty, and very frail. She had trouble breathing. Her breathes were very fast and shallow. Risking getting her fever, Harry reached out, grabbed her palm in his hand, and started to rub it slightly. Soon he was drawing circles in her palm with finger. Knowing how much the gesture meant to him, Ron said nothing despite the health hazard. After getting tired of drawing circles in her hand, Harry just held her palm in his hand for support, hoping she was aware of it. She coughed sickly as she slept, trapped in a painful slumber. The hours went by like minutes and the minutes went by like seconds. Soon it was nightfall and was time for dinner. The boys skipped lunch but by the time, it was time to eat dinner, Ron realized he couldn't fast any longer. So he bid his farewell to Harry and caressed Hermione's hair slightly and walked out. Before long, Harry was getting tired. When he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, he fell asleep in his chair, with Hermione's palm still in his hand.

Harry wasn't sure how long he was out for. But at some point during the night, he felt something rub against his palm. His eyes flickered open to find Hermione smiling at him, massaging his hand. He smiled.

"Hermione, you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Better than yesterday." She said with a slight smile.

"Good." He said as her smile was returned by his Then he realized he was still holding her hand. It was about to let it go but she stopped him.

"Don't. It feels good. It makes me feel safe." She said and he smiled again.

"I'm glad." He said as they sat there for a while smiling at each other. Soon after, sleep took them over again like a stiff breeze and swept them into tomorrow…

To be continued…

So yeah, again I was improvising a lot. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it.

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


	5. Chapter 5 at all costs

Chapter 5 at all costs

Harry woke up from his slumber. He lifted his head gently and looked at Hermione. To his surprise, her face was dangerously red again and she had trouble breathing.

"How…?" he wondered mid sentence. Then it hit him. It was a dream. Hermione wasn't really feeling better. He only dreamed she was. Harry cursed under his breath for his dream not being real. He focused his eyes on the poor girl around him. Her face was so red it was almost black. He was worried for his friend's life. He was beginning to come to terms with his feelings for her and regretted not telling her about them sooner. He then noticed it was already daylight and realized he slept through the night. As he looked out the window, Madam Pomfrey showed up and checked the sickly girl beside him. After a brief inspection the women sighed heavily.

"How is she?" he asked fearing the answer.

"Not good Potter."

"Will she live?" he asked, clinging onto the last bit of hope he had left.

Poppy closed her eyes sadly before she answered. She sighed before opening them again.

"It doesn't seem likely Potter. She's in a coma now and not in a magical one. All we can do now is hope for a miracle."

"What are you telling me? That she is going to die?" asked Harry, panic gripping his heart.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry Potter but there's nothing else I can do."

Harry got up in protest.

"That can't be! There has to be something you can do! Ask Professor Dumbledore or McGonagall or transfer her to St. Mongo's! Something! Anything!"

Poppy had a grave look on her eyes he's never seen in them before.

"I'm sorry Harry but there is not anything I can do. No one can. I asked both professors. Even Snape. They all agreed that we exploited all magical possibilities. Transferring her to St. Mongo's will not help."

Harry looked at her with a broken expression.

She avoided making eye contact with him at first. It took her a while before she did.

"I'm sorry Harry. I know how terribly hard this is for you. I assure I'll do anything I can that she will die peacefully."

Harry lowered his head in grief. A tear making its way down his cheek. He took his time before looking up at her again. When he did he spoke

"How much time?" he asked as he shed another tear of sadness and loss.

Poppy examined the girl briefly before giving her response.

"A day. Two at most."

Harry sank into his chair. His best friend, the girl he loved, the person who meant the world to him was gonna die. And he had only two days left with her. He hovered over her and wrapped his arms around her and wailed in misery as he wept. Poppy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder for support.

"I'm sorry Harry." She said compassionately. But Harry didn't hear her. He could only think of the times lost with Hermione and the missed opportunity to tell her how he felt. He yearned for telling her right now how he felt but knew it would be pointless. He cried like that for an hour, refusing to let her go. During that hour, the rumor of Hermione's imminent demise spread in the castle like wildfire. Never in the castle one thousand year history did a rumor travel so fast and practically everyone flooded the hospital wing to say goodbye to everyone's favorite bookworm. After some time, Harry couldn't take it anymore. He left the hospital wing so he could have some time to grieve alone. He walked by the empty corridors alone, feeling more lost than anytime in his life. He was torn between being thankful for what he already had with her and missing it in the future and what could have been. He passed by a large window on looking the Hogwarts grounds. He could see the black lake and the grounds covered in frost and snow. He remembered how Hermione tried to help him figure out a solution for the second task two weeks prior. It wasn't until the last minute that Dobby showed up and gave him in obscure solution to his problem. Then his head began to race. Dobby… he gave him an obscure solution once, maybe he could do it again. Remembering Poppy's deadline, Harry knew he had to hurry.

"Dobby?" he called into empty space. Within seconds, the little elf appeared in front of him.

"Did Master Potter call for Dobby?" he squeaked.

"Yes, Dobby. I need your help. You're my last hope."

"Anything sir. How can Dobby Help?"

"Well it's like this…" began Harry and gave Dobby a brief summery of what happened and asked if he knew of an obscure cure. Dobby thought for a moment.

"Well there is something sir…" he began.

"'What? You have to tell me."

"It's like this sir. Legend speaks of a magical stone at the bottom of the black lake that can cure any illness once grinded and mixed with water and then drunk by the victim. But it is dangerous to acquire because it belongs to the giant squid. Many have tried to take it from it but none have succeeded. Anyone who tried taking the stone from the squid died in the struggle."

"But the stone exists right?"

"So the tale goes so. It is said to be placed in the squid's nest among its eggs."

Harry sighed with such relief, he almost fell to the floor. There was a hope. Slim hope that Hermione would live.

"Thank you Dobby." He said and brought the elf into a bone crushing hug and darted off before he could answer. Harry ran as fast as he could towards the lake. He knew he had only minutes to improvise a way for him to breathe underwater and he knew that swimming in the dark lake in the dead of winter and struggling a potentially hopeless battle against a giant squid would be practically suicide. But he had to try. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him. After about ten minutes he made it to the lake shore. He took a few minutes to catch his breath. When he did, he took off most of his clothes but remained in his boxers. Then he tried to think of a spell that could work. He remembered the air bubble that Cedric used in the lake and tried to recreate it. It wasn't until half an hour went by till he figured it out. Once he was ready, he dived into the lake and swam for the bottom. The icy cold bit and pierced his skin instantly. He swam deeper and deeper as the lake grew increasingly dark. He knew the squid lived at the bottom of the lake at the other side of it. After fifteen minutes he could feel his legs go numb. Fifteen minutes later his arms went numb too but he continued to paddle, despite the immense pain the numbness inflicted on him. After about an hour of swimming, he made it to the other side. He looked for the squid's nest in the complete darkness around him. He used his wand to perform the Lumos spell. He swam about the area a bit till he found the squid sleeping peacefully a little ahead of him. He swam towards it but the light from Harry's wand woke it up and the squid attacked. It charged Harry but Harry dodged it. It charged again but Harry continued to dodge. At that point the squid tried to switch tactics by excreting ink at him. Harry tried to avoid it but some of it came in contact with his skin. His limbs being in enough pain already due to their numbness, the ink made them burn. Taking advantage of Harry's temporary pause, the squid charged again and bit Harry's arm. Harry screamed in pain as his arm started to bleed. He used his wand to try and stun the squid but it was too powerful. He tried again. Still nothing. Realizing he had no choice, he used the burning spell to injure the squid into surrendering. When he did, the squid shrieked in pain and retreated. Seizing the opportunity, Harry swam to its nest and looked for the stone Dobby spoke about. Sure enough, it was there. Harry grabbed it and swam away before the squid would have the chance to realize what happened. Feeling a newfound sense of hope, Harry swam faster than ever before. Within forty five minutes he was back on shore again, and was trembling like an earthquake. He had trouble putting his clothes back on. When he did, he slowly regained his body heat. He got up on his feet, put the rock in his pocket and limped towards the castle, still trembling out of control. He had to hurry. The sun was beginning to set. He soon made it to the castle and his body heated further. By the time he made it to Gryffindor tower, his shivering almost stopped completely. He walked up to his room. Took out his cauldron, filled it with water and took the rock from his pocket. He held it in his hand above the water in the cauldron and used a certain spell to pulverize the rock as it disintegrated into the water. He mixed it slightly and then picked it up and rushed to the hospital wing. When he got there, he placed the caldron beside Hermione and took an empty glass from her nightstand and filled its contents with the mystery potion. Seeing what he was doing Poppy rushed towards him.

"Potter! What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying a last resort." He said and helped Hermione drink the potion. When he did, he stopped to look at her but didn't see any changes yet. It was then that his dangerous stunt of going into the river in the dead of winter caught up with him and he collapsed onto the floor, much to Madam Pomfrey's shock.

To be continued…

Nothing like a good cliffhanger to keep you going right? Sorry about the long delay. I've been planning to continue this for a while I just didn't get around to it.

Anyway I hope you guys liked it.

Reviews are most welcome.

Peace out.


	6. Chapter 6 odds

Chapter 6 odds

Harry didn't know how long he was unconscious for. But when he came to, it was dark and the lights were out. He groaned painfully and rubbed his head. It was throbbing like a hammer against his skull. His limbs and body were heavy and he felt hot. He squinted in the dark as he looked for his glasses. He reached out his arm and fumbled in the dark a little bit, till he found them in the darkness on his nightstand. He put them on his face and the room came into focus. He looked to his left and saw Hermione still in her bed. To his surprise and relief she was still breathing. He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was dry and his lungs were cramped. Instead he extended his arm again and in great pain, grabbed Hermione's palm in his own and rubbed it slightly. He could see her face was less red now. He smiled weakly. It worked. He saved her life. His dearest Hermione, the person who meant the most to him in the whole world, was going to be alright. He sighed happily and closed his eyes, taken away by the bliss of sleep and relief.

Hours pass…

It was morning and Harry was just waking up. The first thing he noticed as he was opening his eyes was that someone was rubbing his hand. His eyes opened further as he looked to his left. His green tired eyes met loving and compassionate hazel chocolate ones looking back at him. He smiled warmly at her. Glad she was awake and kicking. He opened his mouth to speak again.

"Hi…" he said softly and tiredly.

"Hi." She said a little more audibly and cheerfully than he did.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

He smirked.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing."

She grinned at him.

"But I asked first." She insisted. He chuckled. He opened his mouth to speak once again.

"Alive." He said tiredly.

She laughed.

"Well that's optimistic Harry." She said. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Say what you want Hermione, I'm just glad you're alive."

"So am I. Even though I don't know how. But what happened to you?" she asked with concern.

He sighed deeply.

"I risked my life to save yours."

She looked surprised.

"YOU saved me?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah."

Hermione was moved by his efforts. Harry risked his life and almost lost it in order to save hers. He really was selfless. More than anyone she has ever known. She smiled warmly at him.

"You're too good for this world Harry, you know that?" she said and he blushed. She lifted her hand while still holding his and kissed his palm softly but gently.

"Thank you." She said and his blush intensified. She laughed.

"You're more sensitive that you let on, you know that Harry?" she said, making him all the more embarrassed. He squirmed softly.

"Quit it Hermione."

She laughed. After a short pause she spoke

"You want to tell me what happened?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yesterday Madam Pomfrey checked you again and saw your condition got worse. She said there was nothing left to do and that you had a day or two to live." Began Harry and Hermione paled slightly.

"I was shattered." He continued and looked down slightly. Hermione squeezed his hand for support, encouraging him to continue.

"I sat here for hours, holding you in my arms, wailing in misery and tears, knowing you will die, regretting the times lost and opportunities I failed to seize. Everyone in the school came to show their respects for you. Even the Slytherins. After a while I couldn't stand it any longer and went for a walk. I passed by a window and I saw the lake. I was reminded of how you tried to help me to find a way to breathe during the second task and then something occurred to me. I remembered when Dobby showed up at the last minute offering an obscure solution and I thought he might be able to help this time. So I summoned him and asked if he could help. He told me about a magical stone at the bottom of the black lake in the giant squid's nest. He said that if pulverized and then drunk in a potion it can cure anything. So I ran outside and went to the lake. I took off most of my clothes and tried to imitate Cedric's air bubble charm. Once I did, I dived in and swam to the other side of the lake."

"But it's the dead of winter Harry." She cut him off.

"You could have easily frozen to death or been killed by the squid."

"I had to try." Countered Harry.

"Because I would rather die trying to save you, than sit around doing nothing and let you die…" he said and she smiled at him. She traced his hand and arm with her eyes all the way to his face and chest. She could see his arm had a bandage on it and so did his chest.

"You got hurt by the squid didn't you? You didn't almost only freeze to death." She concluded for him.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"And yet you put yourself in great danger to save little old me…" she said softly.

This time, it was Harry squeezing her hand.

"You're not little Hermione. Not even in the slightest. To me, you're everything. To me you are life itself." He confessed. She blushed slightly and smiled coyly.

"I'm glad you think so Harry."

"But I mean it Hermione. You mean the world to me. I can't live without you."

She smiled again and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Ditto Harry. Ditto…"

He smiled happily at her.

"I love you Hermione. You are my light in this world."

She smiled joyfully.

"I love you too Harry. More than anyone on this Earth." She said.

"I'm glad." He said as they squeezed each other's hands and smiled warmly at each other, glad the other was alive and well and that their love was returned…

To be continued…

It's not over yet folks. There are still some loose ends to tie up.

So anyway Harry and Hermione are alive and well. Now that they knew they love each other, not even they knew what the future holds. But they knew that whatever it was, they would handle it in a heartbeat.

Reviews are most welcome…

Peace out…


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